1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus providing channel management in a broadcasting system, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus providing channel management in a multi frequency network broadcasting system, which manage physical channels to be selected in a priority order of reception quality to tune in a broadcast program in a multi frequency network broadcasting environment of digital broadcasting systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, broadcast methods include a single frequency network (SFN) broadcast method and a multi frequency network (MFN) broadcast method.
In the SFN broadcast method, as shown in FIG. 1A, local transmitting stations air the same broadcast signals using the same frequency, regardless of their regions. On the other hand, in the MFN broadcast method, as shown in FIG. 1B, local transmitting stations air the same broadcast signals using different frequencies according to their regions.
Referring to FIG. 1A, for example, when the local transmitting stations are located on AA position, BB position, and CC position, so called MBC programs are aired by all local transmitting stations on channel 14 according to the SFN broadcast method. Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 1B, according to the MFN broadcast method, one local transmitting station that is located on AA position airs the MBC programs on channel 14, another local transmitting station located on BB position airs the MBC programs on channel 60, and another local transmitting station located on CC position airs the MBC programs on channel 61.
In the MFN broadcast method, virtual channels are assigned by a conventional broadcast receiver as described below in case 1 and case 2:
1) As shown in FIG. 2A, when a single broadcast program is received via a plurality of physical channels (PCT channels), the last received channel of the plurality of PCT channels is assigned to a virtual channel (VCT channel) that will be used later by a user to tune in the broadcast program via PCT channels.
2) As shown in FIG. 2B, when a single broadcast program is received via a plurality of PCT channels, all PCT channels are assigned to a VCT channel to be used later by a user.
However, the channel assignment method according to case 1), as shown in FIG. 2A, assigns the last received channel of the plurality of PCT channels for a single broadcast program to a VCT channel without considering the conditions of the PCT channels, so that a channel of poor quality may be assigned to the VCT channel.
The channel assignment method according to case 2), as shown in FIG. 2B, assigns all PCT channels carrying the single broadcast program to a VCT channel in the reception order, so that fine reception quality of the VCT channel may not be guaranteed.